


Finding Tallahassee

by RonRos47



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24180181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonRos47/pseuds/RonRos47
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Finding Tallahassee

“Go find Tallahassee,” Neal said to Emma, “even if it’s without me.”

‘No,’ Emma thought to herself. “No, no, no,” she said aloud. “Neal, hang on, you just have to hang on.”

“It’s okay, Emma. I’m ready.”

“Well I’m not. Please,” she said through her tears. “I can’t lose you again.”

“You’ll never lose me, I promise.”

“No, there’s got to be something I can do.”

“You’ve done it, Emma. You gave me a life, a family.”

“It’s not enough.” Emma turned to Neal’s father, “Gold, tell me what to do, tell me what to do.”

Gold remained silent as he had no answers. 

Emma turned her attention back to Neal. “You have my heart, Neal. I can’t just-.”

Suddenly an idea came to her. Of course it had been there all along. Neal had her heart. He’d stolen it like the thief he was all those years ago and while she had moved on, her heart had never been hers as it had always belonged to him. No matter how hard she tried she would never be whole again and she would never love again as much as she loved Neal. 

“Gold,” Emma said wiping at her tears. “Gold, use your magic on me.”

“I don’t understand miss Swan.”

“Pull my heart out.”

“Emma,” said Neal, “don’t do this.”

She looked at him. “I’m supposed to be the savior right so I’m gonna save you.” She turned to Gold, “Please, I have to do this.”

Gold shook his head, “We don’t even know if this will work.”

“I have to try. I can’t lose him,” she repeated.

Gold looked at Emma and then at his son. He didn’t want Baelfire to die just as much as Emma. He’d never really seen it before but now he could; the love they had for each other was stronger than any love he had witnessed despite the years they had been apart. It was there and it was real. If it were anyone, his relationship with Belle, Snow and Charming, he knew they would all try and do the same thing for the one they loved.

He nodded at Emma and reached in for her heart. No one had ever been able to penetrate to get through it. It baffled Gold as to why it was happening now but the reason was an obvious one to Emma. She had kept her heart closed pure and simple. Though she loved her parents and her son she had never truly allowed anyone in. Now she was risking everything to save the man she loved. She had opened her heart to him.

Emma’s heart pulsed in Gold’s hand. He stared at it for a moment, the greed in him trying to overcome him but he also knew that by destroying her heart he was losing possibly the only chance to save his son and if he could get his son back then that was more important than destroying the savior.

He handed Emma’s heart over to her. Emma looked at it for a second as it pulsed. She then looked at Neal who was on the verge of his final breaths.

Emma took her heart and split it in two. With one piece she thrusted it back into her chest. She then took the second half and thrusted it into Neal’s chest. 

A wave of energy soared through them and crossed the entire city of Storybrooke much like it had when Emma had broken the first curse to wake up Henry.

Neal took a heavy breath.

“Neal?”

“Emma,” he said.

Tears were streaming down her face as she smiled.

“I don’t believe it,” said Gold.

Emma lowered herself and kissed Neal deeply. She didn’t care if his father was there. All she cared about in that very moment was the man she loved. Once they released each other from their kiss, Emma helped Neal sit up. They sat there hugging each other for what seemed like a very long time.

“You did it,” said Neal.

“Yeah.”

“Thank you, Emma.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

When they pulled apart they were both smiling and went in for another kiss.

“I’m never losing you again,” Emma finally said.

“Good because I’m not going anywhere,” Neal replied. He took her cheek in his hand, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Emma helped Neal to a standing position. Gold was in tears as he saw his son alive and well. He went up to him and hugged him tightly. Neal reciprocated the hug, tears streaming down both their faces. No words needed to be said between the two of them.

Not wanting to let go of each other Neal took Emma in his arms and placed a kiss on top of her head. “Let’s go home,” he said to her.

He then he took her hand and the three of them walked into the woods to make their way back to Storybrooke.

*****

Once they got back to Emma’s apartment Neal took a seat on one of the chairs at the table.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Emma asked with concern.

Neal smiled, “I’m okay, I promise.”

Emma went over to the sink and got Neal a glass of water.

“Thanks,” he said taking a sip.

He reached over and took her hand. The two of them sat in silence for a moment.

“What you did took a lot of guts, Emma,” he said to her.

“What took a lot of guts,” they heard Henry say.

He had entered the apartment with his grandparents close behind. It didn’t go unnoticed that they were still holding hands.

“Is that what that energy surge was?” asked Mary Margaret.

“Wait,” said Henry, “did you do something and if you did I want details.”

Emma and Neal smiled at each other.

“And what’s with you two,” said David, “this is…this is new,” he said in response to seeing his daughter happy and the hand holding.  
“So does this mean you’re back together,” Henry asked excitedly.

Neal looked at Emma, “We actually haven’t discussed that part, not really anyways.”

“Is that what you want?” Emma asked him.

“I think the real question is do you?” Neal asked back.

Emma smiled, “Yeah, it is.”

Neal smiled back. He then let go of her hand and reached into his pocket. “Then I have something for you.” He pulled out the swan necklace.

“Your necklace,” said Mary Margaret.

Emma looked at him, “you held onto it?”

“Yeah well I’d been meaning to give it back to you. The timing just never felt right. Mind if I put it on?”

Emma nodded so Neal got up and walked around her to clasp the necklace. She touched it for a moment. He then re-took his seat.

“Perfect,” he said to her.

“Right where it belongs,” she replied.

Henry looked at his parents, “you two aren’t going to be all lovey-dovey now are you?”

Emma laughed and looked at her son, “Better get used to it, kid.”

“Okay,” said David, “what really happened between you two?”

“Yeah,” said Henry, “that surge must have meant something.”

Emma and Neal smiled. “Let’s just say Neal has a piece of my heart.”

Her parents and Henry all looked at the new couple. 

“What does that mean?” asked Mary Margaret.

“We’ll explain later,” said Emma as she took Neal’s hand and brought it up to her lips.

Yes they would explain everything later but for now they were content on keeping it as their own little secret. A secret that was kept to the heart. Now nothing could pull them apart. No matter where life took them they would always have a shared heart and they knew that forever was theirs.

They’d finally found their ‘Tallahassee’.


End file.
